Amanda Holden on BGT: 'I think I’ve picked the winning act'

AMANDA Holden has her finger on the golden buzzer in a new series of Britain’s Got Talent

Amanda Holden has her finger on the golden buzzer in a new series of BGT[ITV]

Calling all performing dogs, gymnastic grannies and secret singers – your country needs you! Britain’s Got Talent, the show that aims to find the nation’s hidden superstars, is back for an eighth series with judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon.

Hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, the show has proved a ratings hit since it began in 2007 and has launched the careers of performers such as Susan Boyle, Paul Potts and Diversity.

Last year’s final, which saw shadow theatre group Attraction claim the top prize of £250,000 and the chance to star at the Royal Variety Performance, was watched by more than 13 million viewers.

And luckily, Amanda, who is the only judge to have appeared on the BGT panel every year since the beginning, is adamant that there is still plenty of talent waiting to be discovered in the UK.

“I know I say it every year. Even my husband always says, ‘Can’t you think of something different to say?’” she laughs. “But every year I say, ‘Thank God that there is still so much talent out there’.”

Amanda, 43, has had a successful acting career on stage and screen, appearing in TV shows such as The Grimleys, Cutting It and Wild At Heart and West End productions such as Shrek: The Musical and Thoroughly Modern Millie. She says that despite being part of the Britain’s Got Talent team for seven years, she isn’t bored of her role as a judge yet.

“It’s such a laugh and the days fly by. It’s lovely to be back with everyone,” she says. “We all have genuinely good friendships and we all bounce off each other. I love Alesha, Simon and David. The energy on the show is really fast, snappy and upbeat. It’s great.

“I don’t think the four of us have had many disagreements this year,” she continues. “We’ve all been pretty much on the same page. David and I seem to have the same kind of taste – we like musical theatre stuff.

Alesha cried during the auditions this year and I said, ‘That’s because you’re a mummy now.

Amanda Holden

It’s been a running theme throughout the auditions this year, which has been great for me.”

Determined to keep viewers hooked, there have been some changes made to the show’s format, including the introduction of the golden buzzer. Each judge is given the opportunity to use the buzzer once during the auditions. Pressing it will automatically give the act a place in the live stage of the competition.

“Each judge has just one chance to push the buzzer and when they’ve pushed it that act goes straight to the semi-final, no messing, no question,” Amanda says. “I think it’s good to kick things up a bit from time to time.

“I was the first judge to press the golden buzzer. I can’t give anything away, but I genuinely think I’ve picked something that can win the whole competition.

“I felt that the act was just the most unbelievable thing I’d seen. It started off quite normally, even a bit dull to begin with. And then it went crazy and I could not believe it. The audience was up on their feet and I stood up and thought, ‘I’m going to do this.’ So I pressed the buzzer and all this gold stuff fell from the ceiling and everyone was going nuts. It was amazing.”

There have also been new additions behind the Britain’s Got Talent scenes, with both Simon and Alesha becoming parents recently. Alesha and partner Azuka Ononye welcomed baby daughter Azura into the world last October, while Simon’s partner, Lauren Silverman, gave birth to his first child, a son named Eric, in February.

Amanda, who has two daughters of her own, Lexi, eight, and two-year-old Hollie, is delighted with the new members to the Britain’s Got Talent family.

“I went straight to see Alesha’s baby after she was born. She’s gorgeous, an absolute munchkin. She’s beautiful, like her mother, and has really juicy lips. And I’ve always said that Simon would be a great dad, so I’m thrilled for him.

“Alesha cried during the auditions this year and I said, ‘That’s because you’re a mummy now.’”

But, says Amanda, becoming a father hasn’t turned Simon into a soft touch and we should expect a lot more of the acerbic sarcasm and blunt put-downs he is renowned for.

“There will be things about him that will change as he gets used to being a dad, but not at work,” says Amanda. “It’s like saying a CEO of a company is suddenly going to go soft because he’s become a father. That doesn’t normally happen, does it?”

Amanda admits it never gets any easier to send contestants home, but says the show prepares contestants for the harsh reality

of showbusiness.

“You do have to let people down,” she says. “But you can let people down in a positive way and it’s a good lesson if that’s the industry that they really want to get into. I’ve been told ‘no’ so many times in my life that I don’t even know what it means anymore.”

But for those still willing to put themselves forward for a chance of fame and fortune, what words of advice does Amanda have for hopefuls in the Britain’s Got Talent auditions?

“Make it count,” she says. “Don’t say, ‘Oh well, I’ve got this other thing up my sleeve, I wish I’d done that’. We get a lot of people saying that every year.

“You’ve got two minutes and you’re in front of Simon Cowell, so just do your best. It’s such a wasted opportunity otherwise.”